Love and Support
by MetalMetroid997
Summary: Short n' sweet. Takes place just before Ash's battle with Grant. He learns that someone he knows isn't feeling good, and immediately calls her to find out what he can do to help.
1. Chapter 1

Ash and friends had reached Cyllage City, where Ash hoped to win his second Badge from the local Gym Leader, Grant. They were resting up at the Pokémon Center first though, and Ash had taken the opportunity to call Professor Oak before his battle.

"So, you've seen Grant battle before?" Oak asked.

"Yeah," Ash confirmed. "That Onix of his sure is powerful, especially with its Rock Tomb. But I do have the Water-type Froakie to count on, as well as a new move I learned in a recent encounter with a Skrelp. I'm feeling pretty confident."

"Good to hear!" Oak said. "I wish you luck in your battle! Now, before I forget, your mother wants a word. Shall I go and get her, or will you call her back?"

"Get her for me, please," Ash replied. He held the wire while Oak left. Around a quarter of an hour later, his mom came onto the screen. "What was it you wanted to talk about?" he asked her.

"Your friend Dawn called me," Delia answered. "She's feeling a bit sad and she'd like to talk to you."

"Right," Ash said. "I'll give her that call without delay." After getting a number to call from his mom, he said goodbye to her and hung up. He then called the number he'd been given. Dawn answered, and she did indeed look sad. "Hi," Ash said, as sympathetically as he could. "So, what's the matter?"

"Mom's had a heart attack," she explained. "When I heard, I pulled out of the Hoenn Grand Festival to go to her. According to her, she was doing her shopping one evening and just after she'd finished loading it into her car, her chest hurt and it was like she had to breathe through a straw. Someone else in the car park called an ambulance and she was taken to the hospital. When I got there, she had some scans done – she didn't want to have them without me there. She had an ultrasound scan, a chest X-ray, and a CT. The scan results showed she had mitral valve stenosis. That means one of the valves in her heart doesn't open as far as it should, and not as much blood can get through, meaning her heart has to work harder to pump blood around her body. It was the exertion of lifting her shopping into her car trunk that triggered the heart attack. Anyway, the doctors recommended she have the valve surgically replaced with an artificial one, so that's what she's having done. As you can imagine, this hasn't been easy on me."

"Yeah, I can imagine how you must have felt," Ash said in a soft, kind tone. "You must have been petrified you might lose her when you heard she'd had a heart attack, and even when you found out she was alright, you still didn't know why she'd had the heart attack. It could have been something serious, and I doubt all those scans helped. And when you found out she had to have her chest cut open… well, it won't be easy for anyone when a loved one has to go under the knife."

"It certainly isn't," Dawn agreed. "I know modern doctors know what they're doing, but still, sometimes things can go wrong even for them. I knew I couldn't diagnose Mom or treat her, or do anything besides trust the doctors, but I also knew what I could do was make it easier for myself by talking to as many people as I could about Mom's condition. I started with my Pokémon – none of them were happy to hear it. Then I talked to Izzy and Cara, then Professor Rowan. After that, I started talking to some more people. All let me know their thoughts were with me."

"Hey Ash!" Ash heard Clemont call. "Who are you talking to over there?"

Dawn covered her mouth with one hand. "That voice…" she said. "I feel like I recognise it, though I don't know where from. Who is that?"

"Clemont," Ash answered. "One of my new friends along with his little sister Bonnie and Serena." He then turned to Clemont and answered his question. "Clemont, I'm talking to one of my old friends, Dawn, if you want to say hi."

"I'd love to," Clemont said. He came over. "Hello Dawn. Good to meet you."

"Good to meet you too," Dawn replied.

Clemont tilted his head. "Strange… I could have sworn I've heard your voice somewhere… but where? Oh, never mind, I'll leave you two to your conversation." He went and sat back down with Bonnie and Serena.

Dawn went on from where she left off. "So, as I was saying, I've been talking to a lot of people about what's been going on with Mom. Lots of them sent me their love and support, like Brock, Barry, Reggie, May and Kenny, who even said he hopes they don't accidentally replace Mom's heart with a baked potato while they're fixing her up. Zoey also sent me this big card that she'd gotten Candice, Mr Honcho, Jeremiah, and everyone at the Trainer School to sign, and do you remember my old best friend Leona? Well, she actually had her dad drive her over, gave me a big hug and offered to stay and keep me company while Mom's in the hospital. I took her up on that. Wasn't it kind of her?"

"It was," Ash agreed. "I'll keep you in my thoughts too, and send you a hug of my own. I wish I could give you a real one, but I'll just have to do it when I see you face-to-face. If you ever want to talk to me, I'm here and you can write or phone. I'll go to you anytime, even if I have to interrupt a battle. I've been travelling in the Kalos region and caught Froakie and Fletchling. I only have one Badge so far, but I'm ready to battle for my second against Grant, a Rock-type Gym Leader."

Dawn smiled. "Thanks so much for your kind words, Ash. I'm glad we had that talk, and I also liked hearing about your latest adventure. You know I always want to hear, whatever life is doing to me, and I feel so honoured to have someone who cares for me as much as you do. The people I talked to before you were all so understanding and sympathetic, but even with all of them, there's been something that's just been missing. I thought I'd get that by talking to you, and I was right. With all the support I've been getting, I just know I can get through this. Good luck in your battle with Grant. Mom's having her operation Tuesday week, so check back the day after that to find out how it went – not that there's a time when I _don't_ like hearing from you. As long as you stick with it, I'll stick with you, so best of luck in Kalos and no need to worry about a thing."

"Thanks, Dawn." Ash smiled and hung up. He'd never felt more rewarded than he did now, having provided his best friend with the emotional support she needed to get through a difficult time, and he was looking forward to going head-to-head with Grant for his second Badge more than ever.

Can anyone see what I did with Dawn and Clemont recognising each other's voices? Read & Review!


	2. Chapter 2

Having won his battle with Grant, Ash was now on his way to Shalour City. He was getting close and had already met the Gym Leader, Korrina, but he, Clemont, Bonnie and Serena were now attending Professor Sycamore's Summer Camp. They'd already made some new friends, Tierno, Trevor and Shauna. The day Dawn had given him to check back for how her mom's operation went had been and gone, so Ash decided that now was as good a time as any to ring her up and find out.

"So will your mom be alright?" he asked once he was through to her.

"I'm pleased to report, she will," Dawn answered. "Like anyone with a close family member under the knife, there was nothing I could do but wait. As you know, it's never easy putting a loved one's life in someone else's hands, though I had Leona there to reassure me which made it quite a bit easier, as did knowing that like I said, modern doctors know what they're doing. They also know how to talk sympathetically to distressed patients and their families. It also helped that Leona knew the perfect way to take my mind off it – we did some reflecting on our relationship together, and then had a tickle fight which she won. Once it was over, one of the doctors phoned and let me know that Mom's operation had gone without a hitch. The artificial valve had been placed, and Mom had been closed up and taken to the intensive care unit. They're keeping her in the hospital to do a few more scans to see how her heart is working with the artificial valve, and once they're done with that there's just a form for her to fill out and sign, and then they can release her. You and everyone else I talked to before Mom had her operation really cared for me right when I needed it the most, so I intend to do the same for Mom, by staying home and looking after her while she recovers."

That made Ash smile. "Good for you! I wish her a good and fast recovery. Do you want to hear how my battle with Grant went? And what I've been doing since?"

"I'm all ears."

"I won!" Ash got out his Badge case and showed it to her. "Grant only used two Pokémon, but I was allowed all of mine. Grant said he wants to see everything challengers and their Pokémon can bring. Froakie beat his Onix, but that was just half the battle. The other half was the Tyrunt he sent out next. It beat both Froakie and Fletchling, but I was able to beat it with Pikachu and win my second Badge. I've already met the next Gym Leader, Korrina, and I'm now on my way to Shalour City to have a battle with her. I've also evolved Fletchling into Fletchinder and caught a new Pokémon, Hawlucha."

"Wow," Dawn said. "You must be having some unforgettable adventures and working so hard. Because of her artificial valve, Mom will have to take anticoagulants for the rest of her life to stop her blood clotting, but all she has to do is take a few pills every day. It isn't particularly troublesome. She also won't be able to drive for six weeks. Anyway, everyone else knows that her operation was a success, including my Pokémon. Like you, they were all happy to hear and wished her a good recovery. I also thanked them for their support during Mom's condition and operation, and I'll thank you for yours. I know they, and you, will always support me, whatever I've done and whatever I'm going through. Of course, I'm not about to forget the doctors who did her operation, or the nurses who looked after her so well. The doctors have also given her something to read to tell her how to look after herself as she recovers, and I have every intention of ensuring she does. It also explains how to look after the wound if she cuts herself and draws blood, since her blood won't clot. Feel free to phone as often as you like to see how she's getting on and let me know how your adventures in Kalos have been going. Like I said, I always want to hear, and I also look forward to good news about your battle with Korrina."

Ash gave her a thumbs up. "Well, I'll have it for you. In the meantime, take good care of your mom."

She returned the gesture. "I will. You keep up the good work on your end."


End file.
